London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Loneliness: 'Alone is ok, but being lonely - it hurts'

Loneliness: 'Alone is ok, but being lonely - it hurts'

"I'm grinning and bearing it but that doesn't mean it's easy."

Raggie El-Komos has lived on his own in Cornwall for the last 17 years, after his wife, Linda, died from cancer.

Being alone "is ok", he says, "but being lonely... it hurts, and Covid-19 is not helping that at all."

After conducting a year-long inquiry into loneliness, a group of MPs and peers is calling on the prime minister to commit to helping people reconnect socially when planning England's recovery from coronavirus.

Before the pandemic, Raggie used to go out to play bingo with some of his neighbours.

"I don't like the game much but I go there just for the company a couple of hours a week, just to talk to someone, to see someone," he tells me.

"For the last year, nothing's been happening, like for everyone else.

"I'm grinning and bearing it because everybody is in the same boat so there's no complaint here but that doesn't mean it's easy."

Raggie is 72 and, with a heart condition, he has been shielding. He finds it difficult to walk up hills so uses a mobility scooter to get around.

"I took my mobility scooter, I went to Tesco which is just about 400 metres away. I can walk leaning on my scooter and I just walked around, I didn't buy anything. I just walked around to see some people.

"I did that twice but I thought no, that's really sad, no more."

New research by the British Red Cross found that almost a third of UK adults are concerned about being able to interact with people in person in the way they did before the pandemic.

The Red Cross are now supporting Raggie by hosting a weekly zoom catch-up, which allows him to chat with others in a similar situation - he says it has been "a lifeline".

He hopes the group may be able to meet in person once lockdown is lifted.

Loneliness 'more acute' for some


The MPs and peers on the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Loneliness heard many experiences like Raggie's.

More than 500 submissions were made to the group's independent inquiry, which ran parallel with the pandemic.

They want to see public spaces made more welcoming, with more public toilets and better street lighting to make it easier for people to meet others informally.

They also want long-term funding for charities who help those who are isolated.

And they heard that people from black and Asian communities, and those with mental or physical health problems, had experienced particularly acute forms of loneliness.

Neil O'Brien, the Conservative MP who chairs the APPG says it's important to create informal opportunities to connect as well as supporting organised schemes.

"The role of chance encounters is really important," he says.

"Often the people most in need of more connection are the people who are most shy about going out and finding new people.

"Creating those chance opportunities to just get talking to people, to see a poster on a noticeboard with an invitation to come to something, are really important and they can have an effect that's far beyond the scale of the money required to make them happen," he adds.

I can't wait to start jumping on the bus again

And it's not just people who live alone who have experienced loneliness.

Ifeoma Anagu is 29 and lives in Liverpool with her partner and young daughter.

Ifeoma Anagu says she felt like her life had stopped when she had to shield during the pandemic.

When the first lockdown was announced, she had to stop going in to her job as a support worker in order to shield because she has diabetes.

"I am used to going to work, seeing patients, trying to help them out. It's kind of my life, so when it stopped I felt I was missing out.

"I had never stayed at home for three weeks without going out.

"I just found myself staying in the room. I lived in the living room. I would just be there thinking about what I would do with my life.

"At some point I wasn't eating well. I was just thinking: 'what shall I do?'

"I kind of drifted from everyone but, at some point I thought: 'I can't allow this time to actually waste'."

Things changed for Ifeoma when she found a life coaching course online.

She gained a certificate and is now looking forward to life returning to something closer to normal.

"I can't wait to start jumping on the bus again, doing things that I used to do. Most especially, I am looking forward to taking my little one out because she's been home all throughout and she hasn't really met people.

"It's one thing to know that you are lonely and the second thing is to find a way to get out of it.

"If not, it might actually lead to depression. I didn't want that because I also have to be there for my little one and my spouse."

Loneliness 'won't end' with pandemic


The British Red Cross commissioned a poll of 2,000 adults in the UK conducted between 5th & 9th March 2021

It's findings revealed:

*  Around two in five (39%) UK adults don't think their feelings of loneliness will go away after the coronavirus crisis

*  Almost a third (32%) said they were concerned about not being able to connect with people in person in the way they did prior to the pandemic

*  30% of UK adults say a lack of facilities like public toilets, local bus services or accessibility adaptations will prevent them from meeting people when coronavirus restrictions lift

*  More than two fifths (42%) are concerned about feeling safe using public facilities and services while coronavirus is still present in the UK

The APPG has 15 recommendations for the government, which include taking combatting loneliness into account when planning new housing developments or transport connections.

Labour MP Liz Twist, who is also a member of the group, says she hopes the recommendations will "act as a catalyst to move forward further and faster with work to tackle loneliness right across government and in our communities".

"Tackling loneliness and reconnecting communities is vital if we are genuinely going to build back better," she adds.

British Red Cross Executive Director Zoe Abrams said it was crucial that the government's commitment to tackling loneliness "does not wane after this pandemic".

"The need for action on loneliness will only grow as we work to re-engage those who have been severely isolated during the pandemic.

"And those who have recently faced the life transitions which we know can lead to loneliness - such as poor physical and mental health, losing a job or losing a loved one," she adds.

The government says tackling loneliness is a "national priority".

NHS Volunteer Responders have been working to tackle loneliness throughout the pandemic and there will be a big focus on supporting people affected in the coming months.

And a new £4m fund will open soon for applications from small grassroots organisations, to build relationships in communities to help reduce loneliness.

A spokesman for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said: "We recognise that the easing of lockdown restrictions will not mean the end of loneliness for many people, which is why this will remain a priority for the government.

"Since the beginning of the pandemic we have invested over £31.5m in organisations supporting people who experience loneliness - and a further £44m to organisations supporting people with their mental health."


"It was just me and the television"


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×